On December 31, 2016, the Electric Motorcycle Federal Tax Credit – a 10% federal tax refund for new and used vehicles – is set to expire. Other “plug-in” State incentives would also disappear. Will they be renewed under the new administration?

Electric vehicle manufacturers, cars and motorcycles, are worried. ZERO Motorcycles, the global leader in electric motorcycle sales and technology is extremely concerned. Because of the perceived low interest by the new administration on the existing tax incentives policy, the company would like to launch a national debate on this topic.

Political reasons aside, do you think electric vehicle sales should continue to be supported by tax credits? (photo credit @ Zero)

Let them stand on their own. Time to find a way to build a competitive vehicle and a competitive price. They’ve been subsidized enough, and have come up with some nice products. Now it’s time for these companies to find a way to get costs down. The incentive to do that is not there as long as the government teet keeps feeding them.

Why should we be funding part of the sale for a neighbors Tesla, it’s a $130K car,
if he can afford $130 he can afford $150K Competition and removal of TAXPAYER funded subsidies
forces the companies to work harder, with the taxpayer money they have a cushion.

Don’t you think your tax dollars helped the almost bankrupt car maker industry (except Ford) in 2009? Why not help us all breathe fresh air instead of continuing to pollute? Every little bit helps ! But I agree lets subsidize Mr. Average Joe’s electric vehicule, not Mr. “Rich” Mogul.

I’ve been considering a Zero for a while, as my local, “running around” motorcycle. Thinking that the tax credits will not be continued, I started looking a bit more seriously, hoping to put one in my garage before the end of the year. You would think Zero, eyeing the loss of the credits, would be offering their dealers better incentives, to get as many motorcycle sold before January 1 as possible. But I don’t see it. The only deals seem to be on the demos, and to me $1,500 off a demo isn’t enough. Maybe they’re selling well enough that Zero believes they can, indeed, stand on their own.

Perhaps this will also lead to other federal subsidies being discontinued, I am sick of my tax dollars supporting these type of
programs. Also, lets scrap ethanol subsidies as well! If it is that good they can stand on their own as well!!

@billy ray
similarly for nfl and nba stadiums. if the owners can afford to pay the players $10xM’s salaries, they can afford to build their own stadiums. when my income is $50/day, i can’t buy their tickets. so how does the effing stadium benefit folks at the bottom of the food chains?

I agree let them stand on their own, ONLY if subsidies to fossil fuel industry also stop. Fair is fair, and I see no reason for either one segment of the fuel industry to have an unfair advantage over the other. Let technology and the market dictate the victor.

Instead, the government should support R&D without regard to type of energy production, as better, more efficient energy is a win win for all.

Interesting that personal transport is the victim of political folly. In an open market, the battery vehicles failed to capture the market. This iteration has met the same fate. Government infrastructure failed to meet market needs in a nonpartisan way.

A lot of twisted facts and misunderstanding on this topic. First ethanol is not subsidized and hasn’t been for some time now. Oil is. Is it time for EV’s to stand on their own? It would be nice if it was but they’ve received a fraction of the support gasoline powered vehicles have. I’m anxious for that day but I doubt it’s today. We have thousands of jobs at stake, probably hundreds of thousands of jobs if you count infrastructure, and billions or trillions of exportable GDP at stake. Politicizing this would be insanely stupid. The real question at this point is are we going to lead an energy revolution or are we going to give it away to China or Europe because we politicized our future?

Electric vehicles have failed to catch on for over 100 years for varying reasons, they are just considered a curiosity. Maybe they will catch on later, but government funding doesn’t seem to be doing much to move it forward like it did for nuclear research, curing polio, or the space program.
An electric vehicle is mostly a fossil fuel powered machine anyway, (by virtue of power from the grid, composites ultimately sourced from petroleum, batteries that require mined minerals) so their is a lack of public interest… perhaps hybrids are a better actual compromise. Why keep funding a nowhere project that solves no problem, they can sink or swim on their own merit.

Mike and Dave are spot on! Whenever I try to talk battery life/service/cost with people promoting electrics I get the glassy-eyed look and a change of subject. I see some electrics and hybrids being bought for the tax credit and the vehicles never leave the garage. Mr/Ms Consumer continues to drive the $75000 4 door pickup truck and luxury SUV then shows off the Electric to dinner guests. No to the tax credits. peace

Sorry Mr. Burnout but no glassy eyed look here. Dave is not spot on, in fact he’s way off. IF, and I mean a big IF the conversation were only about efficiency then even if we got all of the electricity from a coal fired power plant it would be a much more efficient use of fossil fuels. One coal plant powering thousands of vehicles is MUCH more efficient than thousands of ICE engines powering the same number of vehicles. Then throw on top of that that natural gas powered electric plants are far more efficient than coal plants, then throw on top of that how prevelant wind and solar is becoming ( my utility currently provides over 50% of central IA’s grid with wind, and projects under way are bringing that to over 80%) obviously means that a lot of electricity is no longer coming from fossil sources.
But, that was a huge IF. Because you’re assuming that my interest in electrics is to impress dinner guests with my environmentalism while I drive a guzzling SUV. None of that is true. I don’t have a pickup or SUV, I don’t have dinner guests, and my interest isn’t based solely on environmental concerns. My interest in electrics, particularly motorcycles, is because they’re fun to ride, cheap to recharge, and maintenance is almost non existent. Start with a wicked fun ride, plug it in at night for a few quarters a tank, and never have to do oil changes, valve adjustments, radiator flush & fills, or have to stop at gas stations. Yes, that sounds interesting to me.
This country on a government level spent thousands of times more on creating infrastructure and incentives to get gasoline powered vehicles to become an everyday consumer commodity that we have ever even dreamt of spending on electrics, and we still subsidize the oil and gas industry to the tune of billions of dollars a year. What we’ve done for electrics is chicken feed in comparison, yet Zero, Tessa, Nissan, and Chevrolet are making marketable electrics.

Nothing should be supported by taxes outside of Constitutional mandated responsibilities. Everyone has a pet project whether its the arts, ethanol, anything “green,” windmills, geothermal, and cars with 400 pound gastanks that hold a gallon of gas. We can’t raise taxes enought to pay for everything that can be dreamed up by commities.

Cut them all off…every one. If the advocates want to fund something let then go for it. Leave the rest of us (and our money) alone. The only projects that need government help are the ones doomed to failue from the start.

I do not support anybody telling me what I should or should not do with the money that I earn. With that said, I like my combustion engines. I did read an interesting article that Ford is predicting electric vehicles to outsell combustion engine vehicles within the next 15 years.